Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-11
Edison, the Wizard.

Says the Philadelphia Times: A
smooth faced, thick-set, Youthful
looking man, attired in gray suit,
and accompanied by two handsome
young women, stepped briskly up to
the desk of the Continental hotel of
flee. yesterday afternoon, and regis
tered in Il plain round back-hand.
| Thomas A. Edison, Orange, n. j."
It was the wizard OF electricity. The
young women were his wife and sis
ter-in-law. He appeared to be enjoy
ing the best of health, and said the
stories of his being at the point of
death while in Florida were without
foundation. He said he had come to
Philadelphia to purchase electrical APP
paratus for his new laboratory at
Llewellen. n. j.
The laboratory, the erection of
which has just begun, will when fin
ished be as large as the University of
Pennsylvania buildings, and will be
| DEVOTED entirely to experimenting.
The machinery will be of the largest
and most improved patterns, the ma
chine-shop alone being two hundred
feet in length. Mr.. Edison, in speak
| ing of the cost of experimenting, said
he had expended over $4,000 900 in ex-
perimenting, but as twas strictly in
the line of his business he had found
| it money well invested. In speaking
of his Florida trip he said he was so
well pleased with the climate that he
had erected permanent laboratory
on the banks of the CalooSahatchie
river, where he will continue his ex-
periments every winter. He has
erected a number of electric-ight
plants in several Florida towns, but
he has not devoted much time to
plants.
One of his most interesting expert
meutS was in submarine signaling, by
which messages can be transmitted
from ship to ship by means of steam
whistles operated by keys in the same
manner as Geographic instruments.
All his experiments have SO far been
confined to the waters of the Caloosa-
hatchie, where he has succeeded in
conveying intelligent messages a dis
lance of one mile. The principle on
which he will endeavor to perfect his
experiment is the remarkable facili-
ty afforded by water for transmitting
sound.
Divers in the ocean have heard the
swish of steamer fifteen miles away,
and Mr.. Edison thinks he can trans
nit his message from ship to ship
distance of at least seven miles.
What he purposes doing after he mas
perfected his apparatus is to have the
large oceen steamships equipped with
the steam whistles and tranSmitters.
Under the water line of each steamer
will be sounder connected with the
captains cabin by thin transmitting
wire running through Il tube. When
the captain of one vessel wants to
signal another he will sit down to
his keyboard, turn the steam on his
! whistle, manipulate the keys, and
send the message out into the waves
that break against the sounder. This
sound will pass unbroken frOIa wave
to wave with remarkable velocity I'M
til it runs up against the sOunder of
some vessel or vessels which may hap
pen to be within reach of the volume
of sound.
As soon rs the wave containing the
sound strikes the sounder on the hull
of the vessel or vessels within reach,
| the message will run over the cleo
trical wire to the captains cabin,
where it Will ring an electrical bell.
An attendant will then take down the
message us it comes from the water by
means Of Geographic keys, as COM
fCrtably and correctly as though he
were sitting III one Of JAY Gould's
| Western Union Telegraph offices re-
| ceiving news about one OF JAY Gould's
big deals.
After the message has been received
| the captain can SWING his vessel around
and continue the message through
seven miles OF water, in the same di-
rection, until it strikes another steam
Ell, when the operation may be re-
| peated until the whole breadth of the
ocean has been crossed.